March 4, 2012
Game 1: Box Score | Box Score 
Game 2: Box Score | Box Score
BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Brittany O’Donnell and Laura Winter combined to limit Fordham to one hit in a 3-1 win before the Notre Dame softball team fell to Virginia Tech, 3-0, Sunday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. The split left the Irish with a 7-6 overall record heading into next week’s West Coast swing.
Alexa Maldonado steered Notre Dame to a 3-1 record at the Diamond 9 Classic with six hits for a .462 average. Maldonado registered a double and a triple along the way for a .692 slugging pct.
The loss to Virginia Tech snapped a four-game winning streak for Notre Dame.
-Game 1-
O’Donnell (4-2) held the Rams without a hit for 4.0 innings but a sac fly by Chelsea Palumbo put Fordham ahead, 1-0, in the fourth.
O’Donnell walked four and gave up an earned run before giving way for Winter in the fifth. Winter gave up one hit in the final 3.0 frames for her third save of the campaign.
The pitching crew got all it needed from the Irish sluggers in the fourth. Kelsey Thornton singled to the pitcher on a bunt and went to second when Amy Buntin sacrificed herself for the cause.
Dani Miller stroked a double to rightfield to score Thornton and Katey Haus cleared the bases with her first career home run, a two-run dinger to right.
Thornton had two hits to lead the Irish, the second of which came in the fifth behind a triple by Maldonado.
Taylor Pirone (0-2) was tagged for three earned runs on six hits without a walk or strikeout.
Nicole Callahan had Fordham’s only hit, a single in the fifth.
-Game 2-
Winter gave up two hits and left three Hokies on base in the second inning though Dani Anderson went yard to leadoff the third. Courtney Liddle added an RBI single to put the Hokies ahead, 2-0.
Kylie McGoldrick added a solo home run in the sixth for good measure.
Jasmin Harrell (8-3) kept the Irish bats silent with a four-hit shutout. Harrell struck out four without issuing a walk and at one point retired eight straight batters.
Harrell struggled keeping Buntin in check, as the catcher had a pair of singles. Maldonado and Lauren Stuhr also had one hit apiece.
Notre Dame left three runners on base and could not scratch across a score for Winter (3-4). Winter went the distance and walked one with five punchouts.
Virginia Tech totaled seven hits and each of its runs were of the earned variety.
–ND–